Business Continuity Manager

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 23,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It's what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

What is the role?

We are looking for a skilled Business Continuity Manager to join our growing global business continuity team. You will be responsible for supporting the Group Head of Business Continuity, acting as a subject matter expert for business continuity across our UK and global offices.

You will play a crucial role in safeguarding the company's resilience through business impact analysis (BIA), business continuity planning and implementation, annual reviews and scenario exercising. This includes supporting the oversight and implementation of the business continuity policy to ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.

Please note that this is a full-time, permanent role based in our Central London office. Following a hybrid-work pattern, you are expected to be onsite 2-3 days per week on average. Occasional global travel is also required to conduct workshops, exercises, etc.

What will you be doing?

Strategy and Planning:

• Engagement with our continually expanding global regions to ensure robust business continuity plans are in place that are regularly reviewed, updated and tested.

• Actively plans for foreseeable risks to the operational continuity of the Group.

• Supports Crisis Management teams in the event of a disaster situation.

• Delivers high-quality advice to the business in a practical and commercially focused way concerning business continuity planning and any relevant matters that reduces risk, resolves issues and maximises the opportunity for the business to deliver on its goals.

• Supports the business in winning and retaining clients by contributing in a timely manner to due diligence requests.

• Develops and provides education and awareness of business continuity planning and instils a culture of preparedness within the organisation.

• Management and oversight of the mass notification and business continuity software tools.

Business Continuity Planning:

• BIA Reviews: Conduct BIA assessments to identify critical processes, dependencies, and recovery time objectives.

• Business Continuity Planning: Develop and maintain robust Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) to confirm and develop incident management procedures, mitigate potential risks and ensure uninterrupted operations across the Group.

• Scenario Exercising: Plan and execute scenario exercises to evaluate the effectiveness and readiness of the BCPs, identifying areas for improvement.

• Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including senior management, department heads, and external partners, to ensure alignment with business continuity strategies.

Policy, Process and Procedures:

• Ensure all policies, procedures and audit requirements are strictly adhered to in line with best practice

• Responsible for record-keeping and communication on business continuity issues

• Participate in the ongoing review of internal policies, procedures, and professional relationships, to ensure that these are up-to-date and relevant

Environment, Customer Focus and Relationships:

• Builds and maintains close links with peers, key internal and external stakeholders, working with the business and other functions to share information, identify risks and deliver business growth

• Liaises with external auditors as required

• Remains aware of external, industry, legal and regulatory developments to ensure practices and outputs are of a sufficiently high standard

• Conduct regular external analysis and attend external forums to remain aware of industry developments and ensure practices and outputs are in line with best practice

What are we looking for?

• Strong track record of business continuity planning and management of disaster situations within insurance and/or financial services, working regularly with senior executives across the globe.

• Knowledge of BCI Good Practice Guidelines / ISO22301 best practice.

• CBCI accreditation or working towards completion.

• Strong communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.

• Adaptable and able to respond effectively to a changing commercial environment.

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we're looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs.  Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it's the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role's criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.